Bookbinding device



Sept. 26, 1939. r e. A. PRATT 2,174,041

nooxsmmna DEVICE Filed March 13, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 26, 1939. G. A. PRATT 2,174,041

BOOKBINDING DEVI CE Filed March 15, 193'! 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 26, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOOKBINDING DEVICE Guy A. Pratt, East Chicago, Ind. Application March 13, 1937, Serial No. 130,704

8 Claims.

In binding or rebinding books there are certain operations necessary such as drilling holes for the sewing, sewing, and in some instances attaching tapes or cords, rounding of the back, trimming .the edges, and finally pressing after the cover is applied.

This invention relates to a combination tool or device for use in carrying out some or all of these operations, whereby the same may be done in a more convenient and facile manner than with the devices commonly used for such purposes.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an improved device or apparatus for use in bookbinding which may be made at a comparatively low cost and which will be particularly emcient and durable in use.

Other objects are to provide a device for performing a number of operations such as above set forth; to provide a bookbinders device having clamping jaws and various interchangeable at- 'tachments to be applied to said jaws; and to provide such other advantages and improvements as will appear more fully from the following description.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating this invention,

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a preferred form of my device;

Figure 2 is a front view of the same;

Figure 3 is a cross section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an end view showing the device adjusted for rounding and backing the book;

Figure 5 is a detail of one of the backing irons a; or strips;

Figure 6 is a front view showing the apparatus with the trimming shelf in assembled position;

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 1- l of Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a front View of the apparatus shown with tape or cord holding means; and

Figure 9 is a sectional view taken on the line 9-9 of Figure 8.

As shown in these drawings, my invention comprises a book clamp having a relatively stationary jaw or cheek It and a movable jaw II. The jaw It! may be attached to a bench or support I 2 in any suitable manner as by means of angle iron brackets l3 and screws as shown. The stationary jaw has threaded bosses or projections M which are engaged by adjusting screws l5 in the usual manner. The jaw II has bearings I 6 through which are engaged the unthreaded portions of the screws for supporting the jaw, the screws being provided with shoulders I! which engage with the outer ends of the bearings for forcing the jaw inwardly. The bearings are also preferably provided with set screws or pins l8 which engage with annular grooves IS in the screws so that the jaw II will be moved outwardly with the screws. These screws are also preferably provided with the usual handles for turning the same.

The top surfaces of the jaws l0 and H are preferably made flat and smooth for supporting detachable drilling jigs or bars 2| and 22. These jigs are positioned and supported by pins 23 which are secured in the jigs and which engage with holes in the upper edges or surfaces of the jaws. The jigs may be further supported and held by means of set screws 24 which pass through the ends of the jigs and engage with threaded holes in the jaws as will be readily seen from Figure 3. The jigs 2| and 22 have transverse drill holes 25 and 28 respectively, the holes in the front jig being in alignment with the holes in the back jig for guiding the drill or awl which is used for making holes in the leaves of the book. The holes 25 may be made somewhat larger than the holes 25 in order to insure the engagement with the drill therewith if it is not held in accurate alignment.

When the book 21 is to between the jaws and jig members as shown in Figure 3 and the holes 28 are made through the back preparatory to the sewing operation. The jig members 2| and Ham then removed without loosening the book from the jaws and the book will be held in convenient position for the sewing as will be readily understood. The next operation after the sewing is that of rounding and backing the book. After the book has been removed from the jaws it is rounded or partially rounded in the usual manner and backing irons or bars 29 and 30 are applied to the jaws l0 and H as shown in Figure 4. These backing irons are provided with pins 3| which engage with the same holes as the pins 23 so that the jigs and backing irons are interchangeable. The upper edges of the backing irons are preferably beveled for convenience in the rounding and backing of the book which is clamped therebetween as shown and which may be rounded or hammered in the usual manner.

For the trimming operation the backing irons are then removed and a trimming shelf or guide 32 is secured to the front jaw II as by means of screws or studs 33 which are preferably provided with wing nuts 34 to facilitate the quick attachment of the shelf. Dowel or supporting pins 41 may also be used for positioning the shelf and holding it more accurately in adjusted position. The shelf has a flat upper surface 35 which is in alignment or flush with the upper surface of the jaw and serves to guide the chisel 36 as shown in Figure 7. During this operation a cutting board 31- is interposed between the book and the jaw 10 and extends above the edge of the book to provide a backing to hold the leaves firmly while being trimmed.

In order to provide for an additional method of sewing, commonly known as loom sewing, I provide a loom such as shown in Figures 8 and 9. A wooden board 38 is secured to the upper surface of the book clamp and is held by means of upright rods or posts 39 which are threaded at their lower ends to engage with threaded holes 40 in the shelf and which are provided with nuts or projections 4! which press against the top of the board when the rods are tightened. A horizontal rod or cross bar 42 is adjustably secured to the rods 39, this bar having holes in the end for engagement with the rods and being adjusted by means of wing nuts 43 which engage with the threaded upper ends of the rods as shown. The cords or tapes 44 are tied or otherwise secured to the cross bar 42 at their upper ends and are clamped at their lower ends between the board 38 and a wooden cleat or clamp 45 which is tightened by means of screws 46. The sewing of the tapes to the book may be conveniently performed by having the parts positioned as shown.

After the book has been sewn and otherwise manipulated as described, all of the attachments may be removed from the book clamp so that it may be used as a finishing press and to squeeze the completed book between press boards to form the hinge and hold the book in shape until the glue has set.

From this description it will be seen that I provide a bookbinding device adapted for Various purposes and one which is of a simple and compact nature, making it particularly adaptable for use by libraries,.schools, hobbyists, and others, as well as for the usual commercial purposes.

While I have shown a preferred form of my invention, it will be noted that changes may be made in order to adapt the same for different types of books or the like without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims, in which I claim:

1. A bookbinders press for readily drilling. sewing and backing the book, comprising a relatively fixed cheek, means for attaching the cheek to a work bench, a movable cheek, screws for adjusting the movable cheek toward and away from the fixed cheek, detachable drilling jigs, means for securing the jigs to the cheeks, detachable backing irons interchangeable with the drilling jigs and means for securing the backing irons to the cheeks, the arrangement being such that various operations necessary in binding a book may be performed without loosening the clamps or disturbing the book after it has been inserted in position in the press.

2. A combination apparatus for bookbinders for use in readily performing a plurality of binding operations on the book comprising a vise having clamping jaws, perforated drill guides, means for detachably securing said guides to the jaws, backing irons, means for detachably securing said irons to the jaws whereby the jaws will be interchangeable with said drill guides, a detachable trimming guide, means for securing the guide to one of the jaws, tape supporting means coact-ing with the guide, and means for detachably securing said tape supporting means to the guide, the arrangement being such that said detachable devices may severally be removed from the vise to permit successive binding operations and the vise used for clamping a completed book.

3. A new article of manufacture for use in drilling, sewing, backing and trimming a book, comprising a book press, drill guides, means for detachably securing the guides to the press, backing irons interchangeable with the drill guides, means for detachably securing the backing irons to the press, a trimming guide, and means for detachably securing the trimming guide to the front of the press for the purposes described, the apparatus being such that the various operations necessary for binding a book may be performed without removing the book from the press.

4. The combination with a bookbinders press, of detachable and interchangeable drill guides and backing irons adapted to coact with the press, and means for detachably securing said guides and irons to the press whereby they may be attached or removed and a book drilled, sewed and backed without removing the book from the press.

5. A bookbinding machine for use in performing a plurality of operations for binding a book, such as drilling, stitching,.rounding and backing, trimming and sewing on cords or tapes which includes a press for holding the book, drill jigs adapted to coact with the press to permit drilling and sewing, means for detachably securing the jigs in operative position on the press, backing irons interchangeable with said drill jigs, guide means attachable to the press for trimming and means for attaching said guide means to the press whereby the various operations may be readily performed as herein described.

6. A bookbinding apparatus for drilling, sewing and backing books which includes a book clamp having clamping jaws with fiat upper edges, each jaw being provided with a plurality of holes in the upper edge and interchangeable drilling jigs and backing irons each having pins for engagement with said holes for securing said jigs and irons to the jaws, said jigs and backing irons being replaceable whereby all of said operations may be performed without removing the book from the jaws.

'7. A bookbinders press for readily drilling, sewing and backing a book, comprising a relatively fixed cheek, means for attaching said check to a work-bench, a movable cheek, screws for adjusting the movable cheek toward and away from the fixed cheek, drilling guide means adapted to coact with said cheeks, means for detachably securing said guide means to the cheeks, backing irons adapted to coact with said cheeks, means for detachably securing the backing irons to the cheeks, said backing irons being interchangeable with the drill jigs whereby drilling and other operations may be performed without removing the book from the cheeks.

8. Apparatus for use in bookbinding, comprising a book clamp having jaws for supporting and holding elements of the book, said jaws having vertical holes in their upper edges, drilling jigs having transverse holes for receiving the drills and adapted to be mounted on said jaws, pins in said jigs which engage with the holes in the jaws, backing irons adapted to be mounted on the re spective jaws and having pins which engage with said holes in the jaws, the arrangement being such that the backing irons are interchangeable with the drilling jigs for the purposes described.

GUY A. PRATT. 

